Thyroid News and Research

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Latest fad ‘feeding tube’ diet concerns experts

The New York Times reports that some women with upcoming weddings are opting for a calorie-restricted crash diet consisting of shakes siphoned through a medically implanted feeding tube. It is the so-called “K-E diet” that's given by Dr. Oliver R. Di Pietro in his clinic in Bay Harbor Islands, Fla.

18 Apr 2012

A guide to catch and treat hypertension early in children

High blood pressure in children and adolescents is a growing health problem that is often overlooked by physicians, according to a University of Michigan Health System article published in American Family Physician that offers doctors a guide to catching and treating hypertension early.

18 Apr 2012

UTMDACC to offer free head and neck cancer screening exams on April 27

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will offer free head and neck cancer screening exams to the public on Fri., April 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Cancer Prevention Center at the Cancer Prevention Building, 1155 Pressler Street, Floor 2.

16 Apr 2012

Five significant genetic associations for hypothyroidism found

Using its unique online research platform, 23andMe, a leading personal genetics company, has found five significant genetic associations for hypothyroidism in the largest known genome-wide association study of hypothyroidism conducted to date. The details of the study are now available online in the journal PLoS ONE.

9 Apr 2012

Novel technology to grow new primordial lung progenitors

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) have derived a population of pure lung and thyroid progenitor cells in vitro that successfully mimic the developmental milestones of lung and thyroid tissue formation.

6 Apr 2012

Positive effect of tafamidis on neurological degeneration

Tafamidis meglumine was approved in November 2011 for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis in adults. This rare disorder is caused by a defective gene and is associated with progressive nerve damage (neurological degeneration) that tafamidis is supposed to delay.

6 Apr 2012

Genomic fortune-telling fails to provide informative guidance to most people

With sharp declines in the cost of whole genome sequencing, the day of accurately deciphering disease risk based on an individual's genome may seem at hand. But a study involving data of thousands of identical twins by Johns Hopkins investigators finds that genomic fortune-telling fails to provide informative guidance to most people about their risk for most common diseases, and warns against complacency born of negative genome test results.

3 Apr 2012

New preclinical data on ARIAD's ponatinib and AP26113 study presented at AACR meeting

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of new preclinical data on its investigational pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor, ponatinib, and its investigational dual EGFR-ALK inhibitor, AP26113, at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in Chicago.

3 Apr 2012

Clinical data for cabozantinib to be presented at ASCO annual meeting

Exelixis, Inc. announced today that its lead compound, cabozantinib, will be the subject of nine separate data presentations at the upcoming Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

2 Apr 2012

MEK1 mutation does not necessarily make BRAF mutant melanomas resistant to inhibitors

A second mutation found in the tumors of patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma does not contribute to resistance to BRAF inhibitor drugs, a finding that runs counter to what scientists expected to be true.

2 Apr 2012

Blood levels of PCBs in polar bear cubs appear to have dropped

It's never been easy to be a polar bear. They may have to go months without eating. Their preferred food, seal, requires enormous luck and patience to catch. Add to that the melting of Arctic sea ice due to climate change, and the poisoning of the Arctic by toxic chemicals, and it's easy to see why polar bears worldwide are in trouble.

30 Mar 2012

Thyroidectomy may increase risk of postoperative complications in the elderly

Elderly patients who undergo thyroid surgery are at a much higher risk than their younger counterparts for serious cardiac, pulmonary and infectious complications, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

30 Mar 2012

Consumer should be centre of care when offering alternative medicine brands

NPS is reminding pharmacists to place patient care first and avoid multiple switching of medicine brands for patients who may be at higher risk of confusion from switching, as price disclosure arrangements come into effect this weekend.

29 Mar 2012

Cancer death rates declining but obesity still needs to be tackled

According to a new report from four major national cancer tracking groups there has been a steady decline in cancer death rates for men, women and children from 2004 to 2008. The declines in death and new cases of cancer reflect progress against the disease in terms of prevention, diagnosis and treatment, but experts say rising obesity may present a new challenge in the fight against cancer.

29 Mar 2012

New method for in vivo study of unknown selenium metabolism

Spanish and Danish researchers have developed a method for the in vivo study of the unknown metabolism of selenium, an essential element for living beings. The technique can help clarify whether or not it possesses the anti-tumour properties that have been attributed to it and yet have not been verified through clinical trials.

22 Mar 2012

North Shore-LIJ inaugurates NYHNI's Center for Cranial Base Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital

As part of its ongoing efforts to develop patient-centric services that focus on disease prevention and management, the North Shore-LIJ Health System today announced the creation of the New York Head and Neck Institute (NYHNI), a part of its head and neck surgery service line, and the opening of the Center for Cranial Base Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital.

20 Mar 2012

Single dose of X-ray radiation can prevent glaucoma

Jackson Laboratory researchers have demonstrated that a single, targeted x-ray treatment of an individual eye in young, glaucoma-prone mice provided that eye with apparently life-long and typically complete protection from glaucoma.

20 Mar 2012

Living-donor parathyroid gland transplant allows young woman to forgo 60 pills per day

Surgeons at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System performed a rare living-donor parathyroid gland transplant to help a 22-year-old woman maintain normal calcium levels without the need for high-dose supplementation.

13 Mar 2012

Study examines how symptoms presented online influence people's reactions to medical conditions

Maybe you've had a reoccurring sore throat or frequent headaches. Perhaps the pain in your leg won't go away. In the past, you might have gone to a doctor's office to diagnose symptoms.

13 Mar 2012

Cancer rates to fall among men but slightly rise among women by 2020: Report

The report says that due to the growing and ageing population the actual number of new cases will rise by almost 40 per cent on 2007 levels. But when that's converted to the number of cases per 100,000 people the results are surprising. Cancer rates in men will fall from 595 to 568 cases per 100,000 by 2020. That equates to about 85,000 cases. When it comes to women the rate is projected to rise from 394 to 408 cases per 100,000. That's equivalent to 65,000 new cases in 2020.

11 Mar 2012